US Senate blocks California’s electric car mandate in historic vote
CALMatters, ALEJANDRO LAZO/ALEJANDRA REYES-VELARDE: "The U.S. Senate voted today to block California’s landmark mandate phasing out gas-powered cars, dealing a substantial blow to the state’s aggressive transition to electric vehicles.
The decision to revoke three waivers that the Biden administration granted to California could upend the state’s decades-long efforts and authority to clean up its air pollution — the worst in the nation — and reduce greenhouse gases that cause climate change."
READ MORE -- Congress blocks California’s EV mandate. What does that mean for climate goals? -- Sac Bee, NICOLE NIXON
Harvard sues the Trump administration over ban on enrolling foreign students
LAT, COLLIN BINKLEY: "Harvard University is challenging the Trump administration’s decision to bar the Ivy League school from enrolling foreign students, calling it unconstitutional retaliation for defying the White House’s political demands.
In a lawsuit filed Friday in federal court in Boston, Harvard said the government’s action violates the First Amendment and will have an “immediate and devastating effect for Harvard and more than 7,000 visa holders.”"
Should older sex offenders be eligible for early release from prison?
Capitol Weekly, ELLIE APPLEBY: "The Senate Appropriations Committee will determine on Friday if a bill to exclude sex offenders from a parole program for older offenders will move forward this year. For both offenders and survivors, the Committee’s decision will be life changing.
Under California’s Elderly Parole program, most prisoners who are at least 50 years old and who have served at least 20 years of their sentence are eligible to apply for parole. Exceptions include inmates sentenced to death or life without the possibility of parole, inmates sentenced under the Three Strikes law or convicted of first-degree murder of a police officer."
Trump threatens 50% tariffs on E.U. and 25% penalties on Apple as his trade war intensifies
LAT, JOSH BOAK: "President Donald Trump on Friday threatened a 50% tax on all imports from the European Union as well a 25% tariff on Apple products unless iPhones are made in America.
The threats, delivered over social media, reflect Trump’s ability to disrupt the global economy with a burst of typing as well as the reality that his tariffs are not producing the sufficient trade deals he is seeking or the return of domestic manufacturing he has promised voters."
Better know a CA gubernatorial candidate: Chad Bianco
Capitol Weekly, BRIAN JOSEPH: "Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco is the MAGA candidate of the gubernatorial contest. The mustached Republican is a vocal supporter of Donald Trump, who once said, “I think it’s time we put a felon in the White House,” after the once and future president was convicted of 34 felonies related to his payment of hush money to porn star Stormy Daniels.
Bianco was born in the late 1960s at an Air Force base in Ogden, Utah and grew up in a small mining town in the Beehive State as the oldest of three boys. He moved to California in 1989."
L.A. City Council approves $14-billion budget, scaling back Bass’ public safety plans
LAT, DAVID ZAHNISER/REBECCA ELLIS: "The Los Angeles City Council signed off on a $14-billion spending plan for 2025-26 on Thursday, scaling back Mayor Karen Bass’ public safety initiatives as they attempted to spare 1,000 city workers from layoffs.
Faced with a nearly $1-billion budget shortfall, the council voted 12 to 3 for a plan that would cut funding for recruitment at the Los Angeles Police Department, leaving the agency with fewer officers than at any point since 1995."
Mayor Lurie halts funding for S.F. parks nonprofit that misused millions
Chronicle, MICHAEL BARBA: "Mayor Daniel Lurie ordered a citywide pause Friday on all public funding to the San Francisco Parks Alliance after the Chronicle revealed that the prominent nonprofit fundraiser for open space projects had misspent millions and is facing a criminal probe.
The order comes after the long-simmering financial crisis at the politically connected Parks Alliance burst into public view in recent weeks, as concerns about a cash-flow shortage at the organization gave way to revelations of deeper problems that threaten its existence."
Most S.F. government workers don’t live in the city. Here’s where they reside
Chronicle, NAMI SUMIDA: "Despite working for the San Francisco government, most city employees don’t actually live in the city.
Of the roughly 35,000 active employees in the city and county government, just 41% live within city limits. A majority, 55%, reside elsewhere in the Bay Area, and 4% live outside the nine counties."
She’s 11 years old. She’s about to graduate from college. And she’s just getting started
LAT, ANDREW J. CAMPA: "Sandra Ruiz thought nothing of it when a man and his 8-year-old daughter walked into her intro to computer science course.
After all, working parents were nothing new at Crafton Hills College in Yucaipa."
Charter school bill is about control (OP-ED)
Capitol Weekly, TAB BERG: "As a dad, you learn to fight for your kids—especially in an inflexible system that isn’t really built for them. I’ve spent the past 15 years doing just that for my daughters. One of them has special needs, and like so many California families, we searched for an environment where she could thrive.
We found it in a public charter school."
Here’s the best day to get outside as summer weather hits the Bay Area
Chronicle, GREG PORTER: "Memorial Day weekend marks the unofficial start of summer but this year the Bay Area is starting in reverse: cool, cloudy and breezy. A dry trough sliding down the West Coast will deepen the marine layer Friday, bringing the coolest day of the week. Highs will stall in the 50s and low 60s near the coast while most inland valleys will settle in the upper 60s to low 70s.
Saturday will be the warmest and most inviting day of the weekend. Inland highs climb into the 70s and low 80s under mostly sunny skies while the coast stays cooler with patchy morning fog. If you’re thinking of hikes, park days or catching BottleRock in Napa, that’s your best weather window."
Top places to visit in California in 2025
Chronicle, GREGORY THOMAS: "It’s a year of promise and renewal for California’s great outdoors.
There are wild landscapes — from the volcanic northern reaches to the southern deserts — that could soon be enshrined as national monuments. A famous waterfall and a favorite marble cave, long closed to visitors, are due to reopen soon. We’re even about to witness the creation of a brand-new hiking and paddling zone borne from the glorious return of an ancient river."
The media treads lightly in marking the fifth anniversary of George Floyd’s murder
LAT, GREG BRAXTON: "The murder heard around the world marks its fifth anniversary Sunday.
On May 25, 2020, Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin put his knee on the neck of George Floyd and held it there for nine minutes. The incident was filmed by 17-year-old Darnella Frazier and went viral. Chauvin was eventually found guilty of second-degree murder, third-degree murder and manslaughter."
Feds arrest embattled Sonoma developer suspected of ‘Ponzi scheme’ that cost investors millions
Chronicle, ST. JOHN BARNED-SMITH, JULIE JOHNSON: "Embattled Sonoma real estate developer Kenneth Mattson was arrested Thursday and charged in federal court with engaging in “a classic Ponzi scheme,” stealing tens of millions of dollars from hundreds of retirees and others who had entrusted him with their life savings.
In a 22-page indictment, federal prosecutors charged Mattson with seven counts of wire fraud, one count of money laundering, and one count of obstruction of justice for destroying records in a federal investigation."
Federal prison officials visited Alcatraz last week and plan to return
Chronicle, TARA DUGGAN: "Officials with the Federal Bureau of Prisons visited Alcatraz last week and plan to return in the future for an assessment, the head of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area revealed at a public meeting in the Presidio on Thursday.
“I have been in discussion with folks from the Bureau of Prisons,” GGNRA Superintendent David Smith said at the meeting, which was held at the Golden Gate Club at the main post. “They have been out here. They’ll be coming out again to do assessments of the structure.”"
Drugs are being smuggled into Bay Area jails in a bizarre new way
Chronicle, DAVID HERNANDEZ: "Law enforcement agencies across California, including the Alameda County Sheriff’s Office, are contending with novel attempts to smuggle synthetic marijuana into jails and prisons.
Across the state, incarcerated people are being sent court documents disguised as mail from attorneys, with some of the pages soaked or sprayed with synthetic marijuana, commonly known as K2 or Spice."
‘Inexcusable’: Two meltdowns in two weeks prompt soul-searching at BART
Chronicle, RACHEL SWAN: "An electrical fire that exploded at the San Leandro BART Station on Tuesday marked the rail system’s second meltdown in a span of two weeks, and triggered a moment of soul-searching.
Both incidents led to major service disruptions that began early in the morning and upended commutes for hours. As engineers scrambled to address the problems — a computer crash on May 9, and a pre-dawn explosion that burned through track cable on Tuesday — spokespeople for BART had to manage a growing public relations crisis, at a time when the agency is poised to ask taxpayers for money."